Chapter II

“Huh… where am I? What is this place?” Everything seemed dim and I felt unreal, as if I did not belong inside of my own body. I felt dozed and, yet, my mind seemed fully awake and alert. I could not bear a movement, everything seemed dull and heavy. I could see myself from a third person perspective, as a tiny figure, flying on thin air. My fingertips started to burn as if they were placed over a heated piece of metal and subsequently, it extended through the rest of my body. I felt as if I was being shut inside of a furnace.

“Hello? Can anybody hear me?” My voice echoed powerfully, in contrast with my weakened and pained state, through the nothingness. There was no background, nor even a black one. There wasn’t anything or anybody there, other than myself, as I presumed.

“I want to get out of here! Where is the awaken button?” I yelled to the emptiness and oblivion without expecting an answer. Yet, I received one.

“Who are you?” a female voice asked.

“What? I am Damien Raven! Who are you, lady?!” I fired back, stating clearly the answer to her question.

“A Damien Raven?” asked blankly the same voice.

“Damien Raven, not a Damien Raven!” I yelled back, puzzled.

“What is a Damien? What do you use it for?” another voice asked, vacantly.

“Is it some sort of artifact?” asked the first one again, in the same intonation.

“What? A Damien is not a thing, it’s a person!” I vociferated, growing weary of that game.

“What are you?” asked a third in a paralleled, monotonous voice.

“I… don’t… wait…! Why are you asking me all these stupid questions and who are you?” I went straightforward.

They said in unison “Define yourself, not through words, but through actions. Your time is near.” The voices started fading away and drawing out from where I was… wherever I was.

“Is this a joke?” I inquired to the nothingness once again, which answered nothing as expected.

A sudden, strong light came out from below and I realized I had been falling all along. That was probably the floor, about to greet my splatter.